On behalf of the Pike and Reinking families, we are honored to have you with us for Thanksgiving.
Back in October, our world was flipped over when Betsy’s left shoulder took one last clunk on the sidewalk at the corner of Rock Creek and Forest.
In a blink, plans for her seventieth birthday and our fiftieth wedding anniversary changed.
That’s when family and friends took over and planned this Thanksgiving Day gathering.
Without this support and your willingness to pitch in, we’d be eating Jimmy John’s turkey subs this afternoon.
A special thanks to Lauren and Doug, Andrew and Kathryn, Elizabeth and Jackson, Ken and Adrienne, Norman and Jo, and Jay and David for their assistance.
Tucked in there too are the nieces and nephews—George, Lydia, and Sarah, Nana’s heroes, her grands—Caroline, Josie, Ellie, and Hudson, and we can’t forget Jay’s daughter, our Olympic swim coach, Katie, who is with us this afternoon. Katie, we could have used some of your deep breathing techniques when the turkey caused some kitchen tension earlier this afternoon.
Fifty years ago today (11-27-75), we were in Milton, Massachusetts for Thanksgiving at the home of Bertha Avery Crosby.
That was Betsy’s grandmother. Everyone called her Nammer.
We had quite a feast with the Crosby and Cloud families.
Two days later (11-29-75), Betsy and I were married in West Hartford, Connecticut.
There are many reasons why marriages fail and work.
For Betsy and me, I think we had good role models in our parents— Ken and Liz and Bill and Louise.
They weren’t perfect, but their loyalty, support, sacrifice, and teamwork were hard to beat. I think these qualities rubbed off on us.
On the night that I finally mustered the courage to ask Betsy’s father for her hand, I used two words that Betsy’s oldest sister, Susan, told Betsy that I must use—love and respect.
I can still hear my quivering voice—“Mr. Cloud, I love and respect your daughter.”
Despite all of the things I do that drive her absolutely bonkers, Betsy, I still love and respect you as much as I did on that night fifty years ago.
In 2020, a German advertising company created a holiday commercial for the European pharmaceutical company, Doc Morris.
This heartfelt commercial ends with these words—“So you can take care of what matters in life.”
Betsy, for these fifty years, thanks for taking care of what matters in our lives. Here’s to Betsy.
might be baloney 